RT anchor resigns on air citing Ukraine 'whitewashing'

A second anchor working for the English language Russian TV network RT has broken with their employer's coverage of the invasion of Ukraine. Liz Wahl criticized the "whitewashing" of coverage of Vladimir Putin, and then resigned on air:

“Personally I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government which whitewashes the actions of Putin,” Wahl said during her show Wednesday afternoon. “I’m proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why after this newscast I’m resigning,”

Another American anchor for the network, Abby Martin,made similar criticisms of RT on the air on Monday.

Ms. Wahl’s resignation comes on the heels of her colleague Abby Martin’s recent comments in which she voiced her disagreement with certain policies of the Russian government and asserted her editorial independence. The difference is, Ms. Martin spoke in the context of her own talk show, to the viewers who have been tuning in for years to hear her opinions on current events, the opinions that most media did not care about until two days ago. For years Ms. Martin has been speaking out against U.S. military intervention only to be ignored by the mainstream news outlets — but with that one comment, branded as an act of defiance, she became an overnight sensation. It is a tempting example to follow.

When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.

We wish Liz the best of luck on her chosen path.

Charles Johnson speculates - not without cause - that both Martin and Wahl are part of a propaganda Kubuki dance - a staged show of dissent that would make the disinformation they disseminate more believable. Although Wahl resigned, Abby Martin - a 9/11 truther and conspiracist extraordinaire - headed off to Ukraine ostensibly to find out for herself what's going on. If she re-emerges spouting the Kremlin line, Johnson's theory will get a boost.

But Wahl seems sincere - now. The Daily Beast writer James Kirchik relates a converstaion he had with Wahl a few months ago where the anchor was troubled by her employer's relentless propaganda. But the question arises; how could you not possibly know when you took the job what kind of "news" outlet you'd be working for? Wahl and Martin didn't mind spouting Kremlin propaganda for years. These "conversions" are too little too late. I have little respect for a journalist who was either too stupid or too ambitious to turn down the offer of employment from RT.

A second anchor working for the English language Russian TV network RT has broken with their employer's coverage of the invasion of Ukraine. Liz Wahl criticized the "whitewashing" of coverage of Vladimir Putin, and then resigned on air:

“Personally I cannot be part of a network funded by the Russian government which whitewashes the actions of Putin,” Wahl said during her show Wednesday afternoon. “I’m proud to be an American and believe in disseminating the truth, and that is why after this newscast I’m resigning,”

Another American anchor for the network, Abby Martin,made similar criticisms of RT on the air on Monday.

Ms. Wahl’s resignation comes on the heels of her colleague Abby Martin’s recent comments in which she voiced her disagreement with certain policies of the Russian government and asserted her editorial independence. The difference is, Ms. Martin spoke in the context of her own talk show, to the viewers who have been tuning in for years to hear her opinions on current events, the opinions that most media did not care about until two days ago. For years Ms. Martin has been speaking out against U.S. military intervention only to be ignored by the mainstream news outlets — but with that one comment, branded as an act of defiance, she became an overnight sensation. It is a tempting example to follow.

When a journalist disagrees with the editorial position of his or her organization, the usual course of action is to address those grievances with the editor, and, if they cannot be resolved, to quit like a professional. But when someone makes a big public show of a personal decision, it is nothing more than a self-promotional stunt.

We wish Liz the best of luck on her chosen path.

Charles Johnson speculates - not without cause - that both Martin and Wahl are part of a propaganda Kubuki dance - a staged show of dissent that would make the disinformation they disseminate more believable. Although Wahl resigned, Abby Martin - a 9/11 truther and conspiracist extraordinaire - headed off to Ukraine ostensibly to find out for herself what's going on. If she re-emerges spouting the Kremlin line, Johnson's theory will get a boost.

But Wahl seems sincere - now. The Daily Beast writer James Kirchik relates a converstaion he had with Wahl a few months ago where the anchor was troubled by her employer's relentless propaganda. But the question arises; how could you not possibly know when you took the job what kind of "news" outlet you'd be working for? Wahl and Martin didn't mind spouting Kremlin propaganda for years. These "conversions" are too little too late. I have little respect for a journalist who was either too stupid or too ambitious to turn down the offer of employment from RT.